Don't Confuse Your Homonyms!

Words like "there" and "their" are known as homonymns (or homophones) because they're pronounced exactly the same, but have very different meanings. In your writing, it's important to minimize the number of mistakes that exist. Errors with homonyms can be easy to avoid, provided you understand the meaning of each word. Let's look at a few of the most commonly used (and confused) homonyms. (For a more comprehensive list of homonyms, visit this site: http://www.cooper.com/alan/homonym_list.html.)

1.)
ad = short for advertisement
add = short for addition


2.)
affect = to change
effect = result


3.)
hear = to listen
here = at this location


4.)
their = belonging to them
there = a place
they're = contraction of "they are"


5.)
to = toward
too = also; overly
two = a couple; more than one, but less than three


6.)
you're = contraction of "you are"
your = belonging to you


Now it's your turn. Please visit that site (http://www.cooper.com/alan/homonym_list.html) and find a set of homonyms that you think are easy to confuse. Copy the information and paste it here to help create a more complete list!

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It (Part 2)

For the blog post on May 22nd, we were discussing the "Academic Word List" and the importance of vocabulary for good writing. Today's the second installment of vocabulary practice. Here's the next set of words from the list.

Please pick a word, look it up in a dictionary, and then post the word & its meaning. Choose a word that has not been picked already by another blogger. (HINT: If you do not have a dictionary, you can use an online one! Try this: http://www.merriam-webster.com.)

indicate
individual
interpretation
involved
issues
labor
legal
legislation
major
method

Stop & check out the signal words!

When driving, people use signals all of the time. You turn your blinker on to turn left. Your brake lights illuminate when you brake to slow down or stop. The traffic light tells you when to go and when to stop.

In writing, too, signals are important. The signals come in the form of "signal" or "transition" words and those help the reader to follow the order of things. Here are a few examples of some signal words that you probably already use in your writing: "first," "then," "second," "next," "after that," "third," and "lastly." (That's not a complete list of signal words, but to see more of them, visit this URL: http://www.somers.k12.ny.us/intranet/reading/signalwords.html .)

Below you see some signal words that help with chronological order. Please look over that list, pick one or two of the words, and write a sentence for each that demonstrates how it could be used to help improve your writing.

after	afterward		when				not long after
during	finally		first				following
then	initially		later				meanwhile
next	before		now				on (date)
preceding	second		soon				immediately
third	today		until				as soon as

You've also got to love those adverbs!

Adverbs are words that help describe verbs. They tell how something was done. Like adjectives, adverbs help to paint a more exact picture in the reader's mind. Here are some examples of adverbs: quickly, quietly, gladly, angrily, sheepishly, slowly, and loudly.

Read this sentence and picture it.
Samuel ran down the track.

Have you pictured what that event looked like? Are you sure you were picturing it exactly as I had seen it? Well, without an adverb to describe Samuel's running, you can't be sure that your image is the same as what mine is. To make sure we're thinking of something similar, I'll use an adverb. Now read this sentence. When you're done, ask yourself if you have a better, more exact picture of the event and how it happened.
Samuel ran clumsily down the track.

With the inclusion of that one adverb, your vision of Samuel running is now better!

I want you to help me paint a better, more precise picture of some events. Take a look at the sentences below. In the blank, add an adverb that fits the situation. (It's helpful to remember that adverbs usually end in "-ly.") Pick any one sentence and fill in the missing adverb. It's possible that multiple adverbs could be used in one sentence, so don't feel as though there's only one right answer.

1.) Susan _____ called her sister.
2.) The jack rabbit _____ ate the carrot in the garden.
3.) Mr. Jones _____ cooked a Thanksgiving turkey.
4.) Brian's son _____ ran into the office.
5.) Spanky the cat _____ ate his food.

You've got to love those adjectives!

Adjectives are words that describe nouns. They help to make our writing more colorful, vivid, and real. Without adjectives, you couldn't accurately explain to someone how delicious the cold, bubbly, refreshing soda just tasted! (Notice that those adjectives are shown in blue, purple, and green text so that they grab your attention.)

Today, I'd like you to think about adjectives and how they're needed in any piece of quality writing. For your inspiration, use the picture below!


That's a picture (not taken by me) of what I saw in my backyard today! Isn't the Sandhill Crane a magnificent creature?

I'd like you to think of just one adjective that you could use to describe those birds. There are lots of great adjectives that you could choose, but you're limited to only one. So pick whichever adjective you think would be most descriptive and share that idea! :)

The Dreaded Dangling Participle!

Have you ever heard of a dangling participle? It doesn't sound like a good thing, does it? Well, it certainly isn't something you want in your writing. Let's look at why that is the case.

First, we need to talk about what exactly a "participle" is. Every complete sentence will have a subject and a verb. Verbs can take many forms (past, present, or future, for example). A present participle verb is one that ends in "-ing." Some examples of present participle verbs are "running," "cooking," "sleeping," and "eating."

Here's a case of the dreaded dangling participle.
While sleeping, the alarm clock fell off of Tim's table.

Why is that not a correctly written sentence? Look at that phrase in the beginning of the sentence ("while sleeping"). Who or what is that phrase really meant to describe? It's meant to describe Tim. He's the one who was sleeping. However, here's where the problem occurs. Due to the way the sentence is written, it implies that it was the alarm clock that was sleeping! Isn't that silly?

To fix that dreaded dangling participle, you can reword your sentence. Here are a few examples of a correct way to express that statement.
1.) While Tim was sleeping, the alarm clock fell off of the table.
2.) The alarm clock fell off of the table while Tim was sleeping.
3.) While sleeping, Tim heard the alarm clock fall off of the table.


Now it's your turn! I'll give you 5 incorrect sentences, all with dreaded dangling participles. I'd like you to point out what the problem is and then rewrite the sentence to make it correct!
1.) When walking, the sidewalk tripped Gloria.
2.) Shopping at the mall, multiple bags were held by Mary's husband.
3.) While driving to school, the cell phone rang for Carlos.
4.) Installing a new sink, tools were dropped by the plumber.
5.) When thinking about the long holiday weekend, an idea occurred to Mrs. King.

Vocabulary - Use It Or Lose It

It's no surprise that vocabulary is a big part of writing. Without vocabulary skills, a person's writing will be average, at best. Of course, we all want writing that's better than average!

The "Academic Word List" is one of several vocabulary lists that does not connect directly with a single particular piece of literature. Instead, it includes ten units of sets of words most frequently found in school text books of all types. (If you're wondering where this word list came from, it was devloped by Averil Coxhead, of Victoria University of Wellington, in New Zealand.)

I'm going to post half of the first set of the word list. I'd like you to look over that list, pick a word, look it up in a dictionary, and then post the word & its meaning. Please choose a word that has not been picked already by another blogger. (HINT: If you do not have a dictionary, you can use an online one! Try this: http://www.merriam-webster.com)

This way, we all get to increase our vocabulary skills by working together! Be sure to check this post often, as new words and definitions will be added by the bloggers.

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analysis

approach

area

assessment

assume

authority

available

benefit

concept

consistent

constitutional

context

contract

create

data

definition

derived

distribution

economic

environment

established

estimate

evidence

export

factors

financial

formula

function

identified

income

Tell me a story!

Think about any type of writing, such as things you see in newspapers, magazines, books, or even the Internet. All of those methods have one thing in common: they tell a story! For today's blog, I'm going to start the story, but you're going to continue it with another 3 to 5 sentences so that you can develop those wonderful details. The story can be as real or as make-believe as you'd like. Have fun with it!

Ok - here we go! Everyone should start with this first part.
---

Mr. Green opened up the newspaper and was shocked when . . .

Writing - Do you have a plan?

How many things in your life exist for which you have a plan? A few key examples come to mind, such as driving somewhere new, cooking a meal, and writing a good essay! Think about it this way: if you lived in Miami and had to drive all the way to Bunnell (FL), would you know all of the roads to take? If you've never been to Bunnell and you don't know where it is, you'd definitely need to have a plan in place before you hopped in your car and took off! Well, writing is no different!

Imagine that your goal is to write an essay about your most memorable trip. You can choose any type of planning, organizing, or pre-writing that you like. For this example, I'm going to stick to my favorite method: the outline! Look at what I have and ask yourself if you can see how my "plan" would then be turned into the essay. Then, show me your "plan" for your essay!

Topic: Memorable Trip (Utah)
Paragraph 1: Intro
Paragraph 2: First time out west
Paragraph 3: Amazing skiing
Paragraph 4: Unique landscape
Paragraph 5: Conclusion

What do you think? That wasn't too hard to do, was it?

Describe it - weather!

I'm going to stick to the "trend" I've had lately about descriptive writing. The great thing about this topic is that there's so much out there to use as inspiration! Today, we'll focus on the weather. But this doesn't have to be about the weather that's currently happening. Maybe you want to think about a place you've been or a weather event you've endured: a rainy day, a hurricane, a snow storm, an August day in Florida, etc.

I grew up in New Jersey and went through many snow storms. The most beautiful part was at night as the snow fell. If you turned on a light outside, you could see the dainty, delicate, crystal flakes just slowly falling from the night sky. Once you stepped outside, you'd hear this very faint, but distinct crackling of the flakes reaching the ground and piling on top of the snow that was already there.

What type of weather would you like to tell me about? Write a few complete sentences that describe this. Remember that a complete sentence has a subject and a verb. Use those adjectives, as that's what helps paint that vivid, detailed picture in your reader's mind!

Describe it - more!

The last blog entry I did talked about descriptive writing. This is essential in any type of communication you do. This time, I'd like you to pick a color that you like and describe it as best you can!

Turquoise blue - light, bright, vibrant, warm, tropical

Describe it!

Have you ever had someone describe something to you that you could perfectly picture in your mind? That's what we should all strive to do with our writing. It should be detailed in a way that your reader has a clear vision of what you're discussing.

Pick some item and describe it with a few key phrases!

I'll start with what I'm having for breakfast, potato salad. (Yes, that really is what I'm eating for breakfast today!)

Potato salad: chunky potatoes, creamy mayo, small chive pieces, crunchy celery bits

With those descriptive phrases, can you picture (and almost taste) that in your mind?

Now you give it a try!

Wild, Wacky, Wonderful Wednesday!

I like Wednesdays. Why is that? It's because it signifies that the week is half over and the weekend is within reach. Wednesday also means that, for the most part, the craziness and hectic pace of the beginning of the week is done.

What day do you like? Why do you like it?

The weekend is here!

Friday is that wonderful day each week filled with excitement and anticipation of the upcoming weekend! Let's practice some outlining skills. Make a brief outline that shows what you have planned for the weekend! You can use a format similar to the one I have shown below.

I.) Saturday
A.) Sleep late
B.) Watch TV
C.) Check email

II.) Sunday
A.) Sleep late
B.) Do laundry
C.) Watch "Desperate Housewives"
D.) Prepare for upcoming week